<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Pop the Champers by AllDemApples</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28480197">Pop the Champers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllDemApples/pseuds/AllDemApples'>AllDemApples</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, How Do I Tag, I Will Go Down With This Ship, New Year's Kiss, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), does this count as food porn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:20:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,875</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28480197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllDemApples/pseuds/AllDemApples</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus and Tonks stay up well past their bedtime on New Years day, but maybe this year won't be so bad after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pop the Champers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's been a while since I've done any creative writing so forgive any mistakes, feedback much appreciated and have a wonderful new year!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>12 Grimmauld place usually buzzed with activity, being the hub of all things order related, however as Remus Lupin walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, quiet hung in the air.<br/>A few hours earlier however, was a different story altogether. Following the Weasly-Potter-Black Christmas there had been much New Year's celebration as well. Eating, drinking, partying, standing on tables and professing undying love to anyone who would listen (Or maybe that was just Sirius). But all of that was forgotten now as children were put to bed, well past midnight, much to their mothers dismay. Friends said their goodbyes and headed home for the night. <br/>But not Remus, not yet. <br/>As he sat, stewing in his own thoughts, he picked up what seemed to be the only unopened bottle of alcohol in all of London and studied the label. </p>
<p>"Ah champagne, the champagne of… well, Champagne." A voice came from behind him. Tonks plopped herself down in the seat next to him, her limbs somehow also sprawling out into the chair next to her.<br/>She had a knack for doing that, Remus mused, taking up space. Somehow there was always just the right amount of space for her. </p>
<p>"Always one with the words." He raised an eyebrow "But I think you'll find this is just good ol' English sparkling wine, the Champagne ran out a while ago, I'm afraid."</p>
<p>"Go on then, give us a pop." Remus twisted off the cork with a small but satisfying pop, pouring the liquid into two wide rimmed glasses that were probably meant for another type of alcohol. </p>
<p>"Aren't these whisky glasses?" Tonks asked, swirling the drink around the glass, causing it to fizz, the gentle hum filing the quiet nicely. </p>
<p>"Yes, however I am on instruction to not let you near the nice glasses after the incident." </p>
<p>The incident he was referring to happened to be Tonks crashing into the china cabinet, turning the Black fine china into nothing more than shards and dust, and while Sirius had been quite impressed with the destruction, Molly had been appalled and banned Tonks from touching anything of any value, including the nice glasses. </p>
<p>"Oh come off it, that was very clearly an accident" She huffed.</p>
<p>"Yes as I recall so was the accident before that, and the one with the mug-" Tonks cringed, that had been Sirius' favourite mug, "And the countless other times. Molly does seem to have a watertight case."</p>
<p>"But you wouldn't have me any other way" She gave him a lopsided grin, fringe getting in her eyes. </p>
<p>"Of course not" He chuckled, clinking his glass to hers. </p>
<p>They both took a long sip and Tonks immediately spat hers back out into the glass, Remus just grimaced. </p>
<p>"Merlin! What was that?" She managed to ask between splutters</p>
<p>"A gift I think" Remus rubbed his mouth before taking another sip, it was actually sort of growing on him, now the first notes of decaying grapes wore off. Okay maybe he was kidding himself, it really was foul. </p>
<p>"Geeze, from someone who doesn't like us or something?"</p>
<p>"Take another sip you might like it" </p>
<p>Tonks responded by pouring the remainder of her drink into glass into his. "I'm alright thanks, not sure I want to vomit up my lungs tomorrow morning" She paused "Or I guess it's today morning." </p>
<p>Remus leaned back in his chair to study the clock hanging on the wall. "Forty two minutes past three in the morning."</p>
<p>"Whatever are we doing up at this time? Careful,” Tonks lightly punched his arm playfully, “Someone might think we're up to no good!" Before Remus could get a good retort in, Tonks jumped up and scuttled out the room. </p>
<p>Remus stared after her, confused and wondering where she could have gone to. But a clattering and a muffled 'Oh shit' coming from the direction of the sitting room gave it away. Tonks rushed back in, a whirlwind, as fast as she had left, this time holding two glasses, an opened bottle and a circular box. </p>
<p>She grabbed the glass out of his hand and instead handed him a proper champagne flute, evidently having found where Molly had hidden them, and filled both his and hers from the bottle she had arrived with. </p>
<p>"It's the nice stuff  as well, might be a bit flat but this is the bottle they popped at midnight! Arthur put it down and forgot about it I suppose, and it would be a shame to waste it. " </p>
<p>Nymphadora Tonks was a lot of things. She was bright, bold, loud, clumsy. But she was also smart as all hell, Remus thought. She had the memory of an elephant (If the Muggles are to be believed) and no one gave her quite enough credit. </p>
<p>Tonks gave a comically deep inhale of the champagne. "Smells like Champagne to me.” She announced triumphantly “Do you do any of that wine smelling bollocks?" </p>
<p>"I'm not much of a Sommelier myself but I can have a go." He gently hovered his nose above his glass "It's a lovely bouquet- " </p>
<p>"Isn't bouquet like flowers?" Tonks interrupted, staring intensely with one eye into the glass like it was going to tell her future, looking remarkably like Mad-eye for a second.</p>
<p>Remus rolled his eyes and continued. </p>
<p>"I'm getting Peaches and… honey and…" Remus' eyes drifted up to Tonks, who was still looking at her drink with a bemused look on her face, unaware of his staring. She'd done her hair a rich deep purple for the event, no doubt it would be neon pink by the next day but for tonight it fell around her face, just grazing her shoulders in soft waves like wine pouring from the bottle. What was the colour? It wasn't exactly purple, nor red. </p>
<p>"Plum." He mumbled, under his breath. </p>
<p>"Plum!?" Tonks exclaimed. "I'm not getting any plum, I think you're making all this up!" She shouted, like she'd figured out some deep secret about wine tasting. She once more gave him her lopsided grin, and Remus couldn't help but give her a smile back.</p>
<p>He went to take a sip of the wine to solidify his smelling comments when her hand was thrust on top of his champagne, pushing it back down to the table. </p>
<p>"Wait, wait, wait! Not yet!" Tonks pulled out the circular box that she had brought into the kitchen along with the champagne. She pulled, opening the lid to reveal a mostly empty box of chocolate covered strawberries. He knew the box was at one point full of the fruit because just two remained behind. </p>
<p>"I found this when looking for the champers. Last two. It was meant to be." She pushed the box towards him and he took one of the strawberries. "Now, Do you know how to eat it?" She asked.</p>
<p>"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure I know how to eat a strawberry." He said, slightly confused. Was there any other way to eat it? </p>
<p>"Ah see that's where you're wrong!" She enthusiastically took one of the strawberries. "You've got to dip it in the drink and then give it to the other person to eat. It's a new year's tradition!" </p>
<p>"I've never heard of this tradition" </p>
<p>"Yes well Mr know-it-all" Tonks stuck her tongue out at him, and he had the urge to do it back, but refrained. "My mum does it. There weren't many Black traditions she carried on but this was one of them." Most other Black family traditions probably included harassing muggleborns or something, so Remus wouldn't argue with that. <br/>"You charm the champers." Tonks tapped both of their bottles with her wand, which she had produced from Merlin knows where, since the dress she was wearing didn't look like it had pockets. "And the bubbles will soften the chocolate or something, I'm not quite sure, this is the first time I've done it on my own." <br/>She picked up the chocolate covered strawberry and he followed suit, dipping the fruit into the drink and holding it there. <br/>"Come here you're too far away" She shuffled closer to him, swinging her leg over the bench to face him head on. </p>
<p>"How long are we supposed to leave it?" He asked. </p>
<p>"Um, I'm not quite sure. Like I said, this is the first time I've done this on my own and- Oh the strawberries!" Somehow the strawberries had started disintegrating in the Champagne. "Quick!" she urged and they both pulled their strawberries from the drink and offered it to each other. </p>
<p>Tonks laughed sweetly, biting down onto the proffered fruit. Remus slowly closed his mouth around the strawberry, not entirely sure why he couldn't take his eyes off her giddy smile.</p>
<p>And time seemed to stop. Everything stopped. Almost shakily he pushed the soft strawberry into her mouth, watching it slide over her lips and tongue, he could see the bits of chocolate snag on her lips as it rested on her tongue. Remus could hear his heart beating in his ears, almost deafening. Her lips closed around his index finger, sucking some chocolate that had gotten on his finger.<br/>Remus could swear his vision went blurry but he was now also aware that Tonks had used her thumb to push the strawberry into his mouth, her thumb now gliding along the juice that had collected on his bottom lip, resting at the corner of his mouth. </p>
<p>Say something you idiot. Remus' brain urged, but no words came out. Instead he was overwhelmed with the sensation of Tonks drawing his finger deeper into her mouth. He could feel her tongue skimming along his finger, tightening ever so slightly feeling the small amount of pull, feeling every small detail, feeling all the things that were so unquestionably her. <br/>It had always been her.</p>
<p>If you ask Tonks who made the first move, she would say Remus. If you ask Remus, he would say Tonks. But in reality they both move an equal distance in, crashing to meet in a whirlpool of emotions, right in the middle</p>
<p>Tonks gripped Remus' jacket lapels to pull him closer while Remus slid his fingers into her hair, gripping it tight and pulling her in as close as they could manage. <br/>She tasted like strawberries, which was obvious, but also like hours of talking on the job, subtle looks when she wasn't aware, the brushing up of legs as they squeezed past each other in the hallway. It was all the emotions he never could face all flooding out at once, and it was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted. </p>
<p>They pulled apart for air, breathing heavy and uneven , his hand still firmly gripped into her hair as she placed her soft fingers around his cheeks to frame his face, her fingers grazing across the stubble. </p>
<p>Remus might have been known for his brain, but his brain was definitely failing him right then, giving him nothing but to gawk at the woman who was now basically in his lap. So he did the only thing he knew what to do, he kissed her again and again, and again. Until the sun rose, and then some more.</p>
<p>They never did finish that glass of champagne.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>